Thursday, September 24, 2015

I wanted to share some resources and ideas I use when I teach about States of Matter and the Water Cycle!

One of the first things I do is read the book, What's the MATTER in Mr. Whiskers' Room? It's such a cute book, and the perfect way to introduce states of matter to your students! It takes you through a day of incredible science exploration in Mr. Whiskers' classroom. He uses hands-on learning stations to teach his students about matter. The book exposes students to important vocabulary and concepts. Many of the learning stations you could even replicate with your own class!

One of the stations that Mr. Whiskers has the kids explore is an ice and water station outside on the playground. His students learn about how heat melts ice and how water can change states. I tried out his painting with ice on the blacktop idea- didn't work perfectly, but I know kids would love it!

I also thought students could do an experiment to try and see WHERE on the playground ice melts the fastest. You can talk about how a sunnier spot will melt faster or how the blacktop or basketball court is a hotter surface than the woodchips or the grass. The kids could even time how long it takes the ice to melt in each location- you can make it like a little contest- which ice cube will melt the fastest?!

In the book, Mr. Whiskers has a very special station set up with OOBLECK! This is probably the students' favorite part of the book because oobleck is so cool! A few years ago, I made oobleck with my class- it was SO MESSY, but my students LOVED it! It was a special treat at the end of our matter unit. (The author explains how to make it at the back of the book!)

Another activity that is great to kick off or review your states of matter study is a hunt around the school searching for solids, liquids, and gases! It's an easy way to reinforce that matter really is everywhere- you can also tie in water cycle vocabulary like condensation and water vapor as you are searching the school with your students.

*If you want to try this states of matter hunt, I posted a FREEBIE in our Teachers Pay Teachers Store with a graphic organizer and flip book you can use. The graphic organizer and flip book could be used in lots of other ways too of course- note taking, review, homework, etc. :)

We've also got a NEW unit posted for States of Matter and the Water Cycle if you want to check it out! There are 5 articles, flip books, comprehension questions, and an assessment. It's great for interactive notebooks!